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Itinerary of Jacob Saphir, neglected source to the history of extra-European Jews

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2011

Abstract

The article describes the story and itinerary of the traveler Jacob Saphir. Saphir published his two-volume itinerary in mid-19th C under the title Even Saphir.

The text contains extraordinarily detailed descriptions of religious and folcloric traditions of Jews of Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and Madagascar. Because many of these communities did not leave any descriptions of their own customs, Saphir's book represents a unique document which should be studied more closely.